The Chinese New Year is one of the most important celebrations for Tionghua community every year according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The lunar calendar is divided into 12 year cycles and each year has its own animal of the zodiacs with this year the Tionghua community celebrates the Year of The Rabbit.
During the Chinese New Year's eve in Labuan, Tionghua communities gather with their families and friends, offering prayers at the Buddhist temples located around the island of Labuan. This year the atmosphere was a bit more relaxed than before as when the post-pandemic started in 2022, regulations that enforces the physical distancing has loosen slowly with each day people are getting more exposed to the atmosphere just like before the Covid-19 pandemic came.
For somebody who has just learned about visual storytelling during recent years, it is a huge opportunity for me to make and document each moment into pictures in order to preserve the memories and stories that happened during this huge celebration while adding more pictures that tell stories in this beloved island of mine with the hashtag of #LabuanInPictures, a collective effort by our small photographic community to liven up and promoting Labuan together with her people.
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A man and his son offering prayers in the oldest Buddhist temple in Labuan, the Guang Fu Gong Temple during Chinese New Year's eve.
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| A monk is seen tying a rope to a statue in the Ban Xian Mao Temple, Sungai Kinabenua |
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| Fully burnt incenses on the incense altar that has been used during prayer offering |
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| Two men offering incense during a prayer in the Ban Xian Mao Temple |
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| In front of the main prayer hall of the Ban Xian Mao Temple |
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| Families gathered together offering their prayer at the Ban Xian Mao Temple during the New Year's eve. A symbolic and a must during this important occasion. |
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| Lion dance performers preparing for their practice at the middle hall with the poles already being installed. |
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| Two men seen lighting the fire on top of the large scale incenses in front of the Guang Fu Gong Temple located at the centre of Labuan Town. |
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| Two of the few small rooms that are used for prayer offerings in the Ban Xian Mao Temple. |
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| A man is seen offering his prayers in front of the Buddhist god statues in one of the few rooms inside the temple of Ban Xian Mao. |
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